Bought one of those 'build your own birdhouse' kits for my 7yo thinking it'd be a fun weekend project. Instructions were overly complicated, pieces didn't fit together properly, and he lost interest after 20 minutes. $35 down the drain. There's gotta be a better option between "just hand them wood and nails" and these overpriced disappointing kits. Anyone found ones that actually work?
Those kits are SO bad. They're designed to feel like you're doing something creative but then there's like 4 pre-cut pieces and some wood glue. My 6yo got bored 15 minutes in.
I feel like they're designed more for parents who want a nice Instagram moment than for actual kid engagement. Real building projects require risk and mistakes and these kits eliminate all of that.
Yes! We did one and my 7yo looked at the instructions and was like 'this is it?' Switched to just building random stuff out of scrap wood and suddenly he was having actual fun.
Have you tried LEGO Architecture sets instead? Not quite the same but my son stays engaged way longer. Or honestly sometimes just cardboard boxes and tape. Way more open ended.
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Skip the kit. Just get actual wood, nails, paint, and let them design their own. Sure it's messier but they actually get to problem solve instead of following instructions for a predetermined birdhouse.